I’ve been a leadership coach for over twenty-five years, and by far the most common question I get is: “What’s the most important quality in a successful leader?” People usually expect answers like, “confidence,” “innovative,” “fearlessness,” “vision,” and so forth....

About ten years ago, I was brought in to run a team-building program with twelve senior leaders at a large East Coast bank. The first thing I did was go around the room and ask each executive what philanthropic activities they were involved with in their community....

Last month, my family all gathered in our home in Denver to celebrate Christmas. My stepson, Anthony, flew in from West Point Military Academy. My sister prepared a beautiful seven fishes Christmas Eve dinner, and the following morning we all opened our presents. The...